Retired pastor bouncing back

Deirdre Newman

Keith Page hit rock bottom in September 2001 when he resigned as the

lead pastor of Rock Harbor Church after admitting to an extramarital

affair with one of his parishioners.

Following his resignation, he and his wife, Gina, embarked on a

recovery process to restore his relationship with God, his

relationship with Gina and to restore him to public pastoral

ministry.

They were also inspired to found a ministry of their own, called

Rock Bottom, to share his experience with others going through

crises.

“The truth is -- we all hit bottom -- it’s only a matter of time,”

Page said. “The bottom is unassuming. There are a lot of people in

Orange County that look great, but they are one or two decisions away

from rock bottom. It can be a business gone bad, job stuff, financial

decisions. People have all sorts of stuff.”

As part of his recovery process, Page and his wife also went

through a formal process initiated by the Rock Harbor elder board.

The board commissioned a “restoration team,” which included a

psychologist, a 12-step sponsor for Keith and a 12-step sponsor for

Gina.

Members of the team met with the Pages regularly over a two-year

period. In September 2003, the team unequivocally recommended that

Keith Page be restored to ministry.

Gary Mull, a member of the elder board, said he was impressed with

Page’s desire to take responsibility for his actions.

“The willingness that he had to submit himself to a process was

somewhat unique,” Mull said. “Men that find themselves in that

situation often times will not be wiling to be accountable. He did a

phenomenal job of submitting himself and being willing to be held

accountable in an attempt to allow God to change his heart.”

The Rock Bottom ministry is not related to Rock Harbor. Through

Rock Bottom, Keith Page keeps a lower profile than when he was the

lead pastor of Rock Harbor. People usually hear about his experience

through word of mouth.

“It’s like I get a call from somebody who knows my story and they

know somebody and all of a sudden, a pastor’s life blows up, maybe in

Northern California, and all of a sudden I’m flying up there,” Page

said.

Page said he applies comfort, care and compassion to his clients,

but he doesn’t give advice.

“I’m not telling anyone what to do,” Page said. “ ... I’m a

retired pastor for now, but I can still share my experience, strength

and hope. We get calls from couples in crisis all the time because we

were public when our life went down.”

Keith has worked with clients on issues involving gambling,

alcohol, drugs and sex, he said. He has also consulted elders who are

having trouble with their senior pastor and with couples on life

coaching.

While the ministry started in Orange County, the Pages hope to

extend it to Hawaii as well. Keith Page is working on getting his

real estate license in Hawaii and Tuesday he was in Kauai where the

Pages own property. They would like to do some retreats in Hawaii in

the future, Keith Page said.

“Hopefully, one can serve the other,” Keith Page said. “Hopefully,

because of all my experience in California, I can be a blessing to

churches in Kauai if they want to learn, and Kauai can be a blessing

because I can bring people in California who are burnt out and need

renewal. We will have a house, condo or hotel available for those who

need it.”

While he still has regrets about his infidelity, his recovery has

led him to a better place, Keith Page said.

“I still feel sad about how my decisions affected other people --

my wife and the church and the people in my church and my

friendships,” Keith Page said. “But at the same time, I feel very

grateful because I feel forgiven by God. I’m thankful that my

marriage and my family has been reborn. And then I’m excited about

where I’m at with Rock Bottom.”

* DEIRDRE NEWMAN covers Costa Mesa. She may be reached at (949)

574-4221 or by e-mail at deirdre.newman@latimes.com.